Asking For Troublehttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk
Marceline blogs about illustration, Japan, crafts and the freelance lifeMon, 25 Sep 2017 11:00:44 +0000en-GBhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.21715344Shop Newshttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/shop-news-4/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/shop-news-4/#respondMon, 25 Sep 2017 11:00:44 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13557Sorry I haven’t been blogging as much as usual this month. My cold is still lingering and there’s a lot going on. I had so much anniversary stuff planned but I have told myself that it’s my anniversary for a whole year so I don’t need to do it all now. Anyway, here’s what new in my shops. If you haven’t picked up me and Claire’s craft fair zine yet, The Other Side of the Table is now available as a PDF and ebook too. They both include some bonus content and are just £2 (+VAT in EU). Check my shop for all the links – plenty print copies available too. Hopefully most people have received their surprise boxes now and I can start revealing a few things. Everyone found one of these Kawaii Skies cloud badges inside and now the set is available in my shops. You can match your mood to the weather outside! I’ve also added a badge set for my Little Ghost and his Evil Twin! These are limited edition just for Halloween so don’t hang about. I’ll be putting a free ghost badge in all Halloween orders too. As always, you can pick and mix […]

]]>Sorry I haven’t been blogging as much as usual this month. My cold is still lingering and there’s a lot going on. I had so much anniversary stuff planned but I have told myself that it’s my anniversary for a whole year so I don’t need to do it all now. Anyway, here’s what new in my shops.

If you haven’t picked up me and Claire’s craft fair zine yet, The Other Side of the Table is now available as a PDF and ebook too. They both include some bonus content and are just £2 (+VAT in EU). Check my shop for all the links – plenty print copies available too.

Hopefully most people have received their surprise boxes now and I can start revealing a few things. Everyone found one of these Kawaii Skies cloud badges inside and now the set is available in my shops. You can match your mood to the weather outside!

I’ve also added a badge set for my Little Ghost and his Evil Twin! These are limited edition just for Halloween so don’t hang about. I’ll be putting a free ghost badge in all Halloween orders too.

]]>http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/shop-news-4/feed/013557Recent Purchases: July-Septemberhttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/recent-purchases-july-september/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/recent-purchases-july-september/#respondFri, 22 Sep 2017 11:00:45 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13527Let’s see what I’ve been spending my money on this summer. Well, enamel pins obviously! Here’s how my cork board currently looks. There’s a few new pins from Hyper Japan, OMOCAT and Naoshi. I also have two more on the way and I’m hoping to add a lot more ghosts now that Halloween approaches. This Tokyo manhole cover print from Woah There Pickle has been on my wish list for years, doubly so when a gold foil version was added. Vicky had a birthday sale recently so I snapped one up and it has pride of place in my studio. It’s so shiny! I’ve been stuck at home for six weeks because of a horrible cold and a lot of work but I popped into Glasgow last week for a bit of shopping. I love this Pusheen cushion – it’s pretty big and only £6 from Primark. Also from Primark, the prettiest Miffy t-shirt. It’s supposed to be pyjamas but it’s far too nice to waste on being asleep. I get sent a lot of subscription boxes to review so don’t bother subscribing to any. I did make an exception for the Sanrio Small Gift Crate as it looked too […]

Well, enamel pins obviously! Here’s how my cork board currently looks. There’s a few new pins from Hyper Japan, OMOCAT and Naoshi. I also have two more on the way and I’m hoping to add a lot more ghosts now that Halloween approaches.

This Tokyo manhole cover print from Woah There Pickle has been on my wish list for years, doubly so when a gold foil version was added. Vicky had a birthday sale recently so I snapped one up and it has pride of place in my studio. It’s so shiny!

I’ve been stuck at home for six weeks because of a horrible cold and a lot of work but I popped into Glasgow last week for a bit of shopping. I love this Pusheen cushion – it’s pretty big and only £6 from Primark.

Also from Primark, the prettiest Miffy t-shirt. It’s supposed to be pyjamas but it’s far too nice to waste on being asleep.

I get sent a lot of subscription boxes to review so don’t bother subscribing to any. I did make an exception for the Sanrio Small Gift Crate as it looked too cute and is really good value. Buying a summer beach holiday themed box when I live in Scotland was a bit stupid but it was well worth it for the bag and towel. More pics at SCK. I can’t wait for the next box, which has a food theme!

I also bought a lot of stuff at Hyper Japan, including a chance to try my luck with the el horno vending machine. It was so cool. You can virtually play on Etsy too.

And I couldn’t leave ARTBOX without this adorable Sumikko Gurashi glass. My top three are all minor characters (Ghost, Dust, Weed) so I’m always happy when they’re included.

More kitchen additions with the perfect pink coffee cup from Paperchase – so good I need to get another one – and a new kettle! I’ve been using the same basic old kettle for over 15 years so I am weirdly excited by all the features. I got a matching toaster too and had a similar reaction. Technology is amazing.

]]>http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/recent-purchases-july-september/feed/0135275 A Day Fruit & Vegetables at Society6 & Redbubblehttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/5-day-fruit-vegetables-society6-redbubble/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/5-day-fruit-vegetables-society6-redbubble/#respondWed, 20 Sep 2017 11:00:09 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13547Since my 5 A Day characters are so popular, I thought I should make a few more of them available on-demand. Redbubble Most of them were already available on Redbubble but just as stickers. I’ve now added colourful backgrounds so they work on the whole range, from t-shirts and bags to phone cases and mugs. Not all of them are shown above – view the full range of 5 A Day characters. Society6 I’ve only added the most popular characters to Society6 – Pineapple, Banana, Cherries and Watermelon. If you want me to add any of the others, just let me know. As always, keep an eye on social media for discounts and offers and send me a photo if you buy something!

Since my 5 A Day characters are so popular, I thought I should make a few more of them available on-demand.

Redbubble

Most of them were already available on Redbubble but just as stickers. I’ve now added colourful backgrounds so they work on the whole range, from t-shirts and bags to phone cases and mugs. Not all of them are shown above – view the full range of 5 A Day characters.

]]>http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/5-day-fruit-vegetables-society6-redbubble/feed/013547New! Craft Fair Zinehttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/new-craft-fair-zine/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/new-craft-fair-zine/#respondMon, 18 Sep 2017 11:00:50 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13540What feels like a billion years ago, me and Claire started planning a hilarious craft fair zine to share our terrible experiences and help people avoid making the same mistakes. We actually knuckled down and finished it this summer. It’s called The Other Side of the Table and it’s so amazing to finally have it up for sale! It was worth the wait as printing prices are much cheaper now and it’s a full colour thing of beauty on nice quality recycled paper. You can buy a copy now for just £4 and the first 5 orders from each of us come with a free ‘craft fair survivor’ badge! There’s lots of fun stories inside and lots of helpful tips too. Best of all is the pull-out fun section with colouring page, quiz and Craft Fair Hell Bingo. Buy a copy and you’ll never be bored out of your mind at a poorly-attended craft “fayre” again. Digital copies will be available next weekend and you can pre-order the ebook now on Amazon.

What feels like a billion years ago, me and Claire started planning a hilarious craft fair zine to share our terrible experiences and help people avoid making the same mistakes. We actually knuckled down and finished it this summer. It’s called The Other Side of the Table and it’s so amazing to finally have it up for sale!

It was worth the wait as printing prices are much cheaper now and it’s a full colour thing of beauty on nice quality recycled paper. You can buy a copy now for just £4 and the first 5 orders from each of us come with a free ‘craft fair survivor’ badge!

There’s lots of fun stories inside and lots of helpful tips too. Best of all is the pull-out fun section with colouring page, quiz and Craft Fair Hell Bingo. Buy a copy and you’ll never be bored out of your mind at a poorly-attended craft “fayre” again.

]]>http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/new-craft-fair-zine/feed/013540New On-Demand: Society6 Backpackshttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/new-demand-society6-backpacks/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/new-demand-society6-backpacks/#respondWed, 13 Sep 2017 11:00:41 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13520It’s been a while since my on-demand partners added a really cool new product but Society6 now have backpacks! I’ve added my patterns so far and they look so cute. The backpacks are made of a hard-wearing poly fabric and include an interior laptop pocket and a front pocket for accessories plus padded adjustable straps. They’re not the cheapest backpacks at $69.99 but Black Friday is coming and there’s sure to be big discounts. I need to get one for myself and see what they’re like but how to decide on a pattern? Check them all out at Society6.

It’s been a while since my on-demand partners added a really cool new product but Society6 now have backpacks! I’ve added my patterns so far and they look so cute.

The backpacks are made of a hard-wearing poly fabric and include an interior laptop pocket and a front pocket for accessories plus padded adjustable straps.

They’re not the cheapest backpacks at $69.99 but Black Friday is coming and there’s sure to be big discounts. I need to get one for myself and see what they’re like but how to decide on a pattern? Check them all out at Society6.

]]>http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/new-demand-society6-backpacks/feed/01352010 Things I’ve Learned From Running My Own Businesshttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/10-things-ive-learned-running-business/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/10-things-ive-learned-running-business/#respondMon, 11 Sep 2017 11:00:05 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13495I think this kind of post is legally required for a ten year anniversary! 1. You need multiple sources of income Retail is a very unstable industry so it’s good to make sure I have money coming in every month, even if I’m sick or on holiday. Some of my backups include freelance design, on-demand sales, digital downloads and advertising/affiliate schemes. 2. My time is my most precious asset When I think back to some of the things I used to spend time doing in the early days, I want to slap my past self. Nowadays, I try to use my time more wisely for things that only I can do and outsource/automate other tasks. I have another post coming up of the best investments I’ve made in my business. 3. It’s okay not to be ambitious We all dream about being stocked in Liberty or having our own storefront but big opportunities also come with big changes. I’ve come to realise that I don’t want to have to hire staff or deal with everything that comes with breaking the VAT threshold, let alone taking on investors. I’m happy staying small and that’s fine (as is the opposite, obviously, if […]

]]>I think this kind of post is legally required for a ten year anniversary!

1. You need multiple sources of income

Retail is a very unstable industry so it’s good to make sure I have money coming in every month, even if I’m sick or on holiday. Some of my backups include freelance design, on-demand sales, digital downloads and advertising/affiliate schemes.

2. My time is my most precious asset

When I think back to some of the things I used to spend time doing in the early days, I want to slap my past self. Nowadays, I try to use my time more wisely for things that only I can do and outsource/automate other tasks. I have another post coming up of the best investments I’ve made in my business.

3. It’s okay not to be ambitious

We all dream about being stocked in Liberty or having our own storefront but big opportunities also come with big changes. I’ve come to realise that I don’t want to have to hire staff or deal with everything that comes with breaking the VAT threshold, let alone taking on investors. I’m happy staying small and that’s fine (as is the opposite, obviously, if that’s what you want).

4. Keep to a regular schedule

Working from home means I have a lot of freedom, but this is also a job and so I prefer to have a regular schedule for each day of the week so I know what I’m doing and don’t waste too much time. I do my best work in the mornings and at the weekend so I set my alarm early every day and then leave afternoons for easier tasks like packaging products and photo editing.

5. Work with other people

Even if you’re a one man band like me, it’s good to get some help. Collaborating with other makers can give you a whole new product range – my fabric pencil cases and polymer stamps wouldn’t exist otherwise. Taking on staff writers at Super Cute Kawaii was a bit daunting but they all have skills that I lack, making the blog so much better.

6. Don’t compare yourself to others

It’s easy to feel like everyone is more successful and popular but we all know that social media isn’t a true picture of someone’s life and you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. My two top tips – unfollow/mute people that really make you unhappy with their constant amazing achievements and try to imagine living their life and whether you would really exchange it for yours. You can’t just take their good stuff and add it to yours – the bad stuff comes too.

7. Adapt or die

I rely on social media, SEO, Etsy, apps etc. to run my businesses but I have little control over them and sometimes they make huge or frustrating changes. However annoying it is, they have their reasons and there’s little point in hoping they’ll change it back. Instead, I do my research and figure out how to work with it. Sometimes it’s actually better in the long run!

8. Find someone to brainstorm with

I’m usually pretty sure of myself but sometimes I need a sounding board or some reassurance. Mostly I rely on Claire who is always good for a DO IT! or to listen to me unpick a problem until the answer presents itself. A single trusted friend is much better than the opinions of a random bunch of people on Twitter (who will always vote 50/50 for whatever you ask).

9. Be generous and share

This gets more difficult every time someone demands information or doesn’t bother to say thank you but I keep at it. Whether it’s writing a series of blog posts about selling on-demand, making free printables and zines or just taking a minute to answer a question on Instagram, I try to pay forward all the help and resources that made it easier to build my own business.

10. Have fun!

I’ve seen a lot of creative friends and bloggers shut up shop or move in a new direction over the last ten years and while it can be sad, it’s usually for the best. Working for yourself is hard and if you’re not having fun then what’s the point. You could be doing something else that you actually enjoy! Luckily, I’m still having an awesome time so you can expect me to be around for a while yet.

]]>http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/10-things-ive-learned-running-business/feed/013495New: Anniversary Surprise Boxes & Ghostshttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/new-anniversary-surprise-boxes-ghosts/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/new-anniversary-surprise-boxes-ghosts/#respondFri, 08 Sep 2017 11:00:51 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13504Thanks to this hideous cold and a couple of product delivery delays, I decided just to launch all my new products on the same day! 10 Year Anniversary Surprise Boxes It’s a whole year since my Japan surprise box but I really wanted to do another one. It contains ten limited edition and exclusive treats featuring a mix of all my original characters. I’ve drawn a character on every box and one even includes a golden ticket, which will win you a mug of your choice. Buy >> Fried Egg Enamel Pin As with the last box, the main item is a new enamel pin, which you can also buy separately. Fried Eggs make a great meal any time of the day and this one is happy to hang out with you on your coat or bag. I really enjoyed making the backing card for this one. Buy >> Evil Little Ghost Brooch Halloween is coming up so I have lots of new ghosts! Most worryingly, Little Ghost’s evil twin has appeared! He’s made of black acrylic and faces the wrong way and that can’t be good. Thankfully limited to 48 pieces but don’t blame me if something terrible happens after he […]

]]>Thanks to this hideous cold and a couple of product delivery delays, I decided just to launch all my new products on the same day!

10 Year Anniversary Surprise Boxes

It’s a whole year since my Japan surprise box but I really wanted to do another one. It contains ten limited edition and exclusive treats featuring a mix of all my original characters. I’ve drawn a character on every box and one even includes a golden ticket, which will win you a mug of your choice. Buy >>

Fried Egg Enamel Pin

As with the last box, the main item is a new enamel pin, which you can also buy separately. Fried Eggs make a great meal any time of the day and this one is happy to hang out with you on your coat or bag. I really enjoyed making the backing card for this one. Buy >>

Evil Little Ghost Brooch

Halloween is coming up so I have lots of new ghosts! Most worryingly, Little Ghost’s evil twin has appeared! He’s made of black acrylic and faces the wrong way and that can’t be good. Thankfully limited to 48 pieces but don’t blame me if something terrible happens after he arrives. Buy >>

Golden Ghost Brooch

On a happier note, the other new limited edition ghost is golden and sparkly! I should probably have kept these until Christmas but I was too excited. They’ll add a little touch of glam to any outfit and the faces are engraved instead of cut out so you can wear it on any colour. Buy >>

Little Ghost Enamel Pin

I can finally put last year’s smudgy disaster behind me as Little Ghost enamel pins are back and looking perfect. These are a bit more hard-wearing than the acrylic brooches and can’t wait to meet the rest of your pin collection. Please tag me in your photos! Buy >>

Special Offers

I love my Ghost Gang collectors so if you have your eye on a few of my new ghosts, I have gifts! Buy both new limited edition acrylic brooches and you’ll get a free hand-drawn storage bag (while stocks last). If you’re picking up an enamel pin, you can pay an extra £2 for a surprise bag with 3 spooky items.

]]>http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/new-anniversary-surprise-boxes-ghosts/feed/01350410 Year Anniversary Paper Craftshttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/10-year-anniversary-paper-crafts/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/10-year-anniversary-paper-crafts/#respondThu, 07 Sep 2017 11:00:31 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13491No full paper craft tutorial this month as there’s so much else going on (plus I’ve been struck down with the cold). Instead I have an extra idea you can try with my previous tutorials. Anniversary and Birthday Cards or Decorations My circular characters are perfect to replace zeros for anniversary or birthday celebrations. I’m celebrating Asking For Trouble’s 10 year anniversary but it works every decade from 10-100. All I did was measure the height of each paper cut character and then type a 1 at the same size. For a nice rounded font, I use Quicksand Bold. If you don’t have a program that lets you resize fonts in mm, just eyeball it by laying your character on a sheet of A4 paper and making the font take up a similar amount of space on screen. Print onto card and cut out, then you’re ready to glue them to a card or stick up as decorations! Let me know if you try it. (I haven’t shown you how to make an apple but it’s pretty easy to do – just cut a circle and then add a short strip for a stalk and a leaf or two.)

]]>No full paper craft tutorial this month as there’s so much else going on (plus I’ve been struck down with the cold). Instead I have an extra idea you can try with my previous tutorials.

Anniversary and Birthday Cards or Decorations

My circular characters are perfect to replace zeros for anniversary or birthday celebrations. I’m celebrating Asking For Trouble’s 10 year anniversary but it works every decade from 10-100.

All I did was measure the height of each paper cut character and then type a 1 at the same size. For a nice rounded font, I use Quicksand Bold. If you don’t have a program that lets you resize fonts in mm, just eyeball it by laying your character on a sheet of A4 paper and making the font take up a similar amount of space on screen.

Print onto card and cut out, then you’re ready to glue them to a card or stick up as decorations! Let me know if you try it.

(I haven’t shown you how to make an apple but it’s pretty easy to do – just cut a circle and then add a short strip for a stalk and a leaf or two.)

]]>http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/10-year-anniversary-paper-crafts/feed/013491August Round Uphttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/august-round-up-3/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/august-round-up-3/#respondTue, 05 Sep 2017 11:00:11 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13461Goodbye August. You were kind of cold and stressful. Fave 5 from the blog How To: Make a Paper Cut Ice Cream Garland Making Sunae Sand Art With Naoshi Oban Holiday & Isle of Kerrera A Day Out at Kew Gardens New stuff in my shops Bumblebee & Ladybird Polymer Stamps Volcano Cards Mini Pillows Cut & Sew Fabric at Spoonflower Mini Pillows Sample Sale Volcano at Society6, Redbubble & Zazzle Li.st highlights Books I Read In 2017 📚 – 3 more this month! TV shows I’ve been watching lately, ranked My most-used emoji, translated My favourite art supplies 🎨 Top Ten Sumikko Gurashi Characters, Ranked Things I am comfortable saying I know a lot about MY FAVORITE MUSIC ARTISTS OF ALL TIME (request) Links I Loved Design*Sponge has been killing it with great personal content this month: State of the Blog Union 2017, What I Wish I’d Known Before Starting Design*Sponge and How I Finally Found My Personal Style At Age 36 The KLF are (kind of) back and I’m loving the reports from their recent book launch/art event/insanity holiday – The Quietus has day by day recaps. Also a great new Steve Albini interview. Tor has a lovely comparison of two of my […]

]]>http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/august-round-up-3/feed/0134612007-2017: Product Comparisonshttp://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/2007-2017-product-comparisons/
http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/2017/09/2007-2017-product-comparisons/#commentsMon, 04 Sep 2017 11:00:37 +0000http://blog.askingfortrouble.co.uk/?p=13475For the first of my ten year anniversary posts, I thought it would be fun to compare how my style has changed and improved since I started Asking For Trouble. I picked out ten early products that still exist today so you can compare them. I haven’t edited the original photos so you can enjoy my horrendous product photography. Bunny & Panda Card Bunny & Panda were two of my earliest original characters, created as mascots for our Super Cute Kawaii blog. This greeting card shows that they haven’t changed much but my illustration style has. The outlines are gone, the colours are brighter and I’ve learned to avoid trendy fonts for something simpler. Tokyo Shopping Guide I’ve been making zines since I was a teenager and they were always black and white and photocopied. My first Tokyo Shopping Guide was pocket sized and 12 pages long. The 2017 edition has 50 pages in full colour and is available only as a digital PDF or ebook so it can updated easily. How times have changed! Bears Badge Set To begin with, all my characters were hand-drawn and I only made the smallest edits before digitally colouring them in. While they […]

]]>For the first of my ten year anniversary posts, I thought it would be fun to compare how my style has changed and improved since I started Asking For Trouble. I picked out ten early products that still exist today so you can compare them. I haven’t edited the original photos so you can enjoy my horrendous product photography.

Bunny & Panda Card

Bunny & Panda were two of my earliest original characters, created as mascots for our Super Cute Kawaii blog. This greeting card shows that they haven’t changed much but my illustration style has. The outlines are gone, the colours are brighter and I’ve learned to avoid trendy fonts for something simpler.

Tokyo Shopping Guide

I’ve been making zines since I was a teenager and they were always black and white and photocopied. My first Tokyo Shopping Guide was pocket sized and 12 pages long. The 2017 edition has 50 pages in full colour and is available only as a digital PDF or ebook so it can updated easily. How times have changed!

Bears Badge Set

To begin with, all my characters were hand-drawn and I only made the smallest edits before digitally colouring them in. While they have a lot of charm, it’s quite restrictive for product design. Vector illustrations mean I can use the characters at any size and can make matching groups – the new bears in this badge set are all based on the same template which ties them together nicely.

Jammie Dodger Mug

In the early days, getting products manufactured was completely out of my budget. I used to hand-draw these mugs and bake them in the oven and then deal with the hassle of packaging them for the mail. Nowadays, I don’t sell anything that won’t fit through the postbox and outsource all my fun products to my on-demand partners, who can handle more than three colours.

Sun Fabric Purse

When I first started designing fabric patterns, they were basic repeats and often on a white background. If I wanted to make them into something, it involved hand sewing (the clasp purse was made by the lovely Sarah Martin). Pattern design has become one of my favourite thigns to do and my repeats are ever more complicated and colourful. My new coin purses are still handmade (by my mum) but I also sell cut and sew versions so people can sew one up themselves.

Bunny Brooch/Necklace

My first forays into laser cutting were pretty successful and my wooden Bread Slices and acrylic Ghosts haven’t changed at all. I have always wanted to make more colourful and detailed pieces though. I tried making bunnies with bead eyes, hand-drawn mouths and sticker barrettes but it was too much work and not likely to hold up to regular use. My new printed wooden brooches have solved all those problems and are just as cute.

Fruity Gift Wrap Set

Another set of characters that changed from hand-drawn to digital and became even cuter. My original gift wrap sets involved tags that needed to be cut, punched and strung by hand. It was my number one most-hated task so it was such a relief when I replaced them with folded mini card tags instead.

Ghost Badge Set

When I was doodling in my sketchbook on a ferry to Mull, I never imagined it was the start of my most popular character. These spooky little ghosts soon reappeared in a much rounder, happier style and took over everyone’s hearts.

Volcano Card

I used to have quite a few grumpy and sad characters but they just don’t sell. This Volcano is much happier these days and more popular too.

Birthday Calendar

My circular Look Around characters were a turning point for Asking For Trouble as they gave me a recognisable style. If you compare my two birthday calendars, which one looks more consistent?

I hope you enjoyed that as I much as I did. Do you remember any of the old characters?